Air Evac Memberships Available
Editor’s Note: The following information is largely from Air Evac Lifeteam literature.
Memberships in Air Evac Lifeteam are available for Glasscock County residents. The company, located in Big Spring (formerly in Sweetwater), is an independently owned and operated membership-supported air medical service with operations offered through 60 air medical bases across 13 Midwestern states, with 19 bases in Texas.
Air Evac makes flights directly to the scenes of medical emergencies, decreasing the amount of time it takes for residents of rural communities to receive critical care. Professionally trained teams operate the medically equipped helicopters.
First responders on the scene, such as Glasscock County’s EMS personnel, determine whether or not air transportation is needed, and if it is, Air Evac medics determine where the patient will be taken, depending on the nature and extent of the injury or illness. Generally, patients would be taken to San Angelo, Odessa or Midland, possibly to Lubbock.
The Big Spring air ambulance crew has been to Garden City and held a helicopter safety and landing zone class for Glasscock County’s EMS group. They provided instruction on interacting safely with helicopters, selecting landing zone sites, guiding the helicopter to the ground and patient loading.
You do not have to be a member to use the helicopter service, but membership offers some benefits. 1) Members who use the service for critical emergencies will not be billed for the flight, no matter how many times a year they use it. If you are not a member, you could pay up to $12,000 for a flight. 2) Memberships are valid in all Air Evac Lifeteam service areas, so even if you are away from home, an Air Evac helicopter may still be nearby. 3) You will receive membership identification cards for your house, car and wallet.
Annual memberships are $60 per year for a family of three or more all in the same house; $55 for a household of two, and $50 for a household of one. Slight savings are available with multi-year memberships. Even if you never have to use the service, your membership helps to keep the service available in the area.
To register by phone, call 800/793-0010, or mail a completed registration form to Air Evac Lifeteam, PO Box 948, West Plains, MO 65775. Brochures, which include registration forms, are available in County Judge Wilburn Bednar’s office in the courthouse. Air Evac’s website is www.lifeteam.net, For more information, call the Big Spring office at 264-7068.